This term, our children had a memorable and fascinating science workshop delivered by the Queen Mary University of London’s Centre of the Cell team! The interactive workshop, The Gut Feeling Show, offered children a fascinating overview of the incredible journey food takes during digestion.

It started with an introduction to cells, our building blocks of life. They were astonished to find out that the human body is made up of a whopping 37 trillion cells. A number even larger than the number of stars in the night sky. The class was incredibly fascinated by the show. They had a million questions, such as what are cells made of, which led to an abundance of conversations about chemicals, proteins, atoms, and even protons & neutrons.

The excitement did not cease there as the children got close and intimate with the digestive process. Props like a model of the oesophagus, stomach, intestines, and even a sock demonstrated the functionality of our organs.

This way, they were able to physically follow the process of digestion! Food was broken down with a mashing motion to replicate chewing, then mixed in with water to represent stomach acid and enzymes. The process allowed them to discover how nutrients are digested in the intestine.

It wasn’t long before games were introduced, and the students began learning about how proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and fiber work, as well as the biology behind what qualifies as healthy feces!
The workshop was not merely informative but vitally important to enable our students to gain an understanding of how their bodies function. It heavily links to our school value of Aspiration. The children's enthusiasm, curiosity and keenness to learn prove they are already constantly questioning the world around them so they can aspire to be their absolute best.